sauce

American  

[saws] / sɔs /

noun

sauces plural

1. any preparation, usually liquid or semiliquid, eaten as a gravy or as a relish accompanying food.

2. stewed fruit, often puréed and served as an accompaniment to meat, dessert, or other food.

   cranberry sauce.

3. something that adds piquance or zest.

4. Informal. sauciness; impertinence; impudence.

5. Slang. Usually the sauce hard liquor.

   He's on the sauce again.

6. Archaic. garden vegetables eaten with meat.

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verb (used with object)

sauces, present (3rd person singular) sauced, past participle, past saucing present participle

1. to dress or prepare with sauce; season.

   meat well sauced.

2. to make a sauce of.

   Tomatoes must be sauced while ripe.

3. to give piquance or zest to.

4. to make agreeable or less harsh.

5. Informal. to speak impertinently or saucily to.

sauce British  

/ sɔːs /

noun

1. any liquid or semiliquid preparation eaten with food to enhance its flavour

2. anything that adds piquancy

3. stewed fruit

4. dialect vegetables eaten with meat

5. informal impudent language or behaviour

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verb

1. to prepare (food) with sauce

2. to add zest to

3. to make agreeable or less severe

4. informal to be saucy to

sauce Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing sauce

• hit the bottle (sauce)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sauceless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sauces
  plural

Participles

• saucing
  present
• sauced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• sauce
  simple
• sauces
  simple
• have sauced
  perfect
• has sauced
  perfect
• am saucing
  progressive
• are saucing
  progressive
• is saucing
  progressive
• have been saucing
  perfect progressive
• has been saucing
  perfect progressive

Past

• sauced
  simple
• had sauced
  perfect
• was saucing
  progressive
• were saucing
  progressive
• had been saucing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will sauce
  simple
• will have sauced
  perfect
• will be saucing
  progressive
• will have been saucing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of sauce

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin salsa, noun use of feminine of Latin salsus “salted,” past participle of sallere “to salt,” derivative of sāl “salt”; see also salt ¹

Explanation

A sauce is a nearly-liquid or soft topping or condiment for food. You might prefer your spaghetti with tomato sauce and your broccoli with cheese sauce. The cuisine of every country and region has its own sauces, from chutney served with Indian dosas to Hollandaise sauce on eggs Benedict and caramel sauce dolloped on sticky toffee pudding. You can even use sauce as a fancy verb: "Shall I sauce the beef?" Figuratively, to sauce someone is to speak in an impudent or cheeky way.

Example Sentences

Why build Ludovica’s favorite red sauce joint when Colombo’s Italian Steakhouse is right there in Eagle Rock?

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2026

In the episode, Celenza uses the two for a breakfast sandwich, but mayo and hot sauce can be used in a multitude of meals: sandwiches, salads, marinades, hamburgers, tacos… do I need to keep going?

From Salon • Jul. 2, 2026

Inflation has been creeping up since February, but your wallet will feel a lot lighter after you scan the hamburger, hot dogs, buns, and even the barbecue sauce for your America’s 250th birthday party.

From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026

"Most Canadians really feel happy about the country, and are happy to keep working to make it work, and do the bit of compromise that has really been the secret sauce," said Stewart.

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026

The refrigerator door swung open and out poured tubs of hummus and tzatziki sauce.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Related Words

• dressing
• flavoring
• gravy
• relish